Would You Like to Buy a Flower?
by Erika
Summary: ObiWan discovers that even the smallest act of kindness can spread a little joy


I did it!!!!!!!!!!  I finished "My Place is at Your Side"!!! (One of the longer stories I've been slaving away over!)  And, to celebrate, I wrote this short fic!  I hope you like it!

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**_Title_****:** Would You Like to Buy a Flower?

**_Author_****:** Erika

**_Rating_****: **PG

**_Summary_****:** Obi-Wan discovers that even the smallest act of kindness can spread a little joy.

**_Time Frame_****: **Obi is 16

**_Spoilers_****: **None

**_Category_****: **POV, angst, non-slash

**_Disclaimers_****:** The Star Wars universe and all of its characters belong to George Lucas, I'm only borrowing them to have a little fun and I promise to return them unharmed (well, at least mostly unharmed =0).  I'm making no money from this and this is written for entertainment purposes only.  Any characters that are not recognizable as being part of the Star Wars universe belong to me, but you guys probably figured that out, right?

**_Feedback_****:** Both positive feedback and *_constructive_* criticism are greatly appreciated and will be cherished! (firedrake88@yahoo.com)  And if you don't send it willingly, I may just have to Force you *raises hand* and… No, just kidding!

**_Archive_****:** Jedi Apprentice, Early Years, Wolfie's Den, JAFD, The Guardians of Peace, The Temple Library, Telly, and any sites who have any of my other stories.  Anyone else who wants this, please ask and send me a link to your site so that I can check it out. =D

**_Note: _** This was inspired by a part in "A Little Princess".

**_Dedicated To:_** LunarBlade!  You're the best!

Things enclosed in * *'s are *_italic_*

~ Would You Like to Buy a Flower? ~

Obi-Wan:

          "Would you like to buy a flower?" I brushed past the woman without looking at her, and hurried to catch up with Qui-Gon, who was already disappearing into the crowded street ahead of me.

          My Master was a tall and, when he wanted to be, imposing man.  Usually, he was very easy to spot in a horde of people because even amongst a storm of mayhem, he was a sea of tranquility.  With his calm elegance and composure, he had a way of parting crowds and quickly slipping through a teeming mass of impatient beings.  

          It was a skill I had yet to master, so I usually made sure to keep myself no more than a pace behind him.  That way I could easily follow the unobstructed trail he created.  Unfortunately, I was tired from the long transport trip, and I had quickly fallen behind him.  At first it had been no more than five feet, but after stumbling over the uneven cobblestone street and getting jostled numerous times by thoroughly disagreeable people, I had begun to lag further behind.  Now I had to struggle just to keep him in sight.

          Perhaps if I had been paying closer attention, I would have sensed the child coming, but with so many people rushing about their business, the Force seemed to be a jumbled swarm of tangled emotions, and I was too weary to try and keep it all straight.  That's why, when the little boy appeared, running right towards me, I had no time to step out of the way.

          He was a small boy, probably no older than seven, but he was going fast enough so that when he came barreling into me, I was sent falling back onto the hard, wet stones of the street.  The impact was not very painful, but the boy's head had slammed directly into my stomach and had quite efficiently knocked the wind out of me.  By the time I had gasped a few mouthfuls of breath back into my lungs, he had already scrambled to his feet and run off again without offering so much as a single word of apology.  Scampering off to wreak havoc on other innocent bystanders, he left me to be trampled by the merciless crowd of ongoing men, women, and a few members of different species that appeared to be neither.  

          Everyone was either in too much of a hurry to notice me, or saw me and didn't care if they stepped on my robes, or even fingers, because in the ten seconds it took me to climb back up onto my feet, at least five people had tried to use me as another link of the cobblestone street.  

          Brushing the dirt and mud off of my chilled robes, I craned my neck and tried to look as far into the crowd ahead of me as I could  There were people *_everywhere_*.  Rushing in and out of stores, they came and went, lugging bags of groceries and the Force knew what else behind them.  Swarms of them filled every available space on the street, and in only five seconds I spotted people from at least eight different species.  Qui-Gon, however, was nowhere to be seen.

          Seeking refuge from the swarm, I pushed my way through it until I found a small gap between the buildings of two stores.  There wasn't much room – perhaps a little over a foot – but it was just enough for me to squeeze in and gain a few moments of peace to think about how in the world I had ended up here, and what I should do next.

          Just the night before, Qui-Gon and I had come trudging back into the Temple, thoroughly exhausted from seven months of endless, tedious missions.  I had never been so relieved to be back in my own room, but as soon as I had let myself drop lifelessly onto the bed, Mace Windu had come to pay us a little visit.  An hour later, by special order of the Council, we had boarded a rickety old cargo ship, and were shuttled off to this Force-forsaken planet.

          Tired as I had been, the rattling of the decrepit engines had kept me awake all night.  I had already been extremely frustrated by the Council's refusal to give us a little break – even one *_day_* of relaxation would have been nice – but the lack of rest had made me irritable and aggravated.  Qui-Gon, feeling terrible for dragging be back out on another mission when he had promised me a week of uninterrupted bliss, had tried to cheer me up, but no matter what he did, my fowl mood persisted.

          All I wanted was a small vacation!  Was that too much to ask?  There were dozens of other pairs assigned to field work, why couldn't the Council ever use any of them?  Why did they always have to send us on every single mission?  As an Initiate I had dreamed of being a Padawan, but I had envisioned myself saving people's lives and spreading light on every planet I set foot on.  I hadn't pictured myself getting sent back and forth between boring meetings filled with delegates more ancient than Master Yoda. 

          Officiating at different important functions!  That was all we had been doing for the past year!  Qui-Gon and I hadn't gotten to conduct a single negotiation in *_ages_*!  Couldn't we be sent somewhere where there was a *_conflict_* so that I would have something to *_do_*?  It wasn't that I wanted a terrible and destructive war to break out on some planet in the far reaches of the galaxy, I just wanted to be able to do some *_good_* in the universe.  I wanted to make a difference.  I *_didn't_* want to sit amongst rows people at least three times my age, making pointless small talk, and nibbling on food more disgusting than Gorellian tarsk!

          Our '*_ship_*' had landed about fifteen minutes ago, and Qui-Gon and I had been rushing to get to our lodging, which conveniently enough, was located all the way across town.  Sometimes, when sent to beautiful, peaceful worlds, we would take our time and enjoy the scenery, learning as much about the natives as possible.  This planet, or at least this city, was nothing to dawdle over though.  It was overpopulated and ugly.  Considering that, since both of us were tired anyway, we had wanted to make it to the hotel as soon as possible.  

          Qui-Gon, at the speed at which he was proceeding, would probably reach it in record time, but I was stuck back here.  No make matters worse, I had no idea were 'here' was.  Nor did I know the name of the hotel where we were going to stay.  Normally, before landing, Qui-Gon would have me learn everything I could about the planet and the people.  This time, however, when he had given me the pad, I had been too fatigued and too upset to read it.  As a result of that poorly thought out decision, I didn't know much about anything useful.

          Sighing heavily, I realized I would have to contact Qui-Gon, who was no doubt in too much of a hurry to even realize I was missing.  

          Closing my eyes, that was just what I was about to do, when a puff of cold air reached out to surround me in its embrace of cruel ice.  It was the middle of winter here, and it was *_freezing_*.  The walls of the shops kept me mostly protected from the bitter cold winds that swept through the street, but every so often, a wisp of artic air would creep around the corners to ensnare me.

          Shivering, I rubbed my arms with the gloved fingers of my hands.  It was of little help.  It felt like the cold air had claws and teeth made of ice.  Snapping and nipping at me, they easily penetrated the cloth of my robes and eagerly leapt through my skin to chill my entire body.  Force, this had to be the harshest winter of any planet in the galaxy!  Just our luck that we would arrive on the coldest day in the history of recording temperatures.

          "Please, sir, would you like a flower?" her pleading words jumped through my thoughts to distract me.

          Somehow, I had managed to end up near the woman selling flowers, but this time, when I heard her loud, desperate voice ringing out over the prattle of hundreds of other people, my gaze was drawn in her direction.  

          There, were however, countless outer beings 'in her direction', and I did not immediately spot her.  Instead, my drifting eyes took in the depressing appearance of the city.  All of the buildings that lined the street were a dull gray, and were old and weighed down by the ravages of time.  Soaked and muddied by the recent rain, they gave the street a cheerless feel.  Even the people were dressed in gloomy tones of black, and not a single one of them was smiling.  

          "Would you like to buy a flower?  Please, please would you buy a flower?" There was such sadness and anguish in her voice, that I felt my heart clench in response to it.  

          This time it took me but a moment to place her among all the other people, and when I did, I felt tears well up in my eyes and had to stifle a gasp.  There, standing still in a crowd of careless strangers, stood the owner of that voice, clasping a clump of flowers in one hand, and a child in the other.  She was a little thing – probably no older than thirty – and she looked as if she had been through all the hardships that the universe had to offer.

          Half naked, she was dressed in no more than the tattered remains of clothes that were muddied and soaked through by frosty rain water.  Trembling against the freezing fury of the winter, she was as pale as death, and looked disgustingly sickly.  Her hair – tangled masses of filthy black curls – was blowing wildly in the wind, sadly dancing about her head in a frenzy.  Streaks of dirty water marred her face and arms, and she was so heart-wrenchingly skinny that I could see her bones pressing out against her skin.  With her head bent low, she looked almost as if she had given up hope of happiness, and if I could have seen her eyes, I knew they would have been filled with agonizing misery.  

          In fact, I guessed her only reason to live was the little girl whose hand she was tightly holding.  The child was probably five or six, but she was so small and malnourished that she was the size of a three year old.  Covered in a ridiculously large, old, ripped jacket and the remains of a torn and battered blanket, she was staring aimlessly off into space, as if wishing that she could somehow just fly away from her terrible life.  The clothes, being much too big for her, were folded over her small body like she was only a doll, and I knew that the mother had given them to her daughter, rather than take them for herself.  She was slightly better fed than the mother, no doubt because the woman gave almost everything she had to the girl; but she looked so helplessly small and fragile, freezing in the harsh weather, with her short, soaking hair matted to her head, and her clothes billowing in the wind.

          My eyes fell to the flowers the woman held in her other hand.  They were obviously garden-picked and had probably been beautiful at some point, but they didn't look it now.  Those two had obviously been standing there through the rainy storm that had been raging before we landed, and the flowers had not survived.  Most of petals lay trampled on the street, and the few that remained attached to the stalks were wilted, soggy, and hanging down limply towards the ground, as if they too had given up hope and wanted nothing more than to join their comrades on the cold cobblestones.

           The woman seemed to sense my stare, and lifted her head to look at me.  The look in her eyes was haunted, and I was suddenly filled with such shame and guilt that I had to break the gaze and turn away.  Force, but I felt terrible.  That woman was so poor that she was reduced to selling dying flowers in the middle of a busy street where the people cared for nothing more than retreating from the cold as quickly as possible.  

          People were starving on the streets, and here I was, in a horribly disagreeable mood because I was a *_Jedi_* who was *_bored_* with sitting inside warm dining rooms, conversing with extremely important people, and eating foods that many would describe as 'delicacies'.  Billions of people, like this woman and child, across the galaxy would have paid to have my life, but instead of appreciating it, I had been standing here thinking of reasons to complain.  My problems and annoyances were *_nothing_* compared to the life she led.

          I drew in a sharp breath of air when I felt a heavy but gentle hand touch my shoulder, making my heart pound its way up into my throat.  Feeling abrupt fear rush through my system on the heels of my surprise, I had to forcefully stop myself from jumping back from the touch that, upon consideration, I realized was my Master's.

          "Shh," Qui-Gon soothed gently, "It's only me, Obi-Wan, calm down."

          Sighing, I breathed deeply for a few moments and calmed my irrational flash of fright.  When I looked up to meet his gaze, I could see the concern written in his eyes and etched across his face.  Beyond that though, I could see how tired and weary he was.  He tried to hide it from me, to make me feel better, but I knew that he was as worn out by the constant string of missions as I was.  He too, only wanted to relax back home in the quiet halls of the Temple.

          A probing touch peeked through our bond, followed by a flood of gentle comfort and support.  "I'm sorry, Padawan," he apologized quietly, "but I was in such a hurry to get to the hotel that I didn't immediately realize that I had lost you.  It took me a while to backtrack and then spot you.  Why didn't you tell me I was going too fast?"

          Force, now that I was listening carefully enough, I could tell that he even *_sounded_* physically fatigued and emotionally worn out.  Since when did he *_rush_* anywhere?  Since when did he not appreciate the beauty – however hard to find – of every planet we landed on?  Since when had he started hurrying through each mission in the hope that we would finally be given some time off?  

          When had this happened?  When had we stopped appreciating what we were fortunate enough to have, and instead let ourselves be weighed down by our duties?  When had we started allowing the dryer side of Jedi life to suck the energy out of us?  Why, when we had so much, did we think our problems were anything compared to the ones of woman and her daughter?  What was wrong with the universe, that it allowed us to live in such luxury while they were homeless on the streets? 

          "Obi-Wan?" now he sounded even more worried, "What is it, my Padawan?  What's wrong?"

          I shook my head sadly, "I'm sorry, Master," I apologized, "I'm fine.  Please don't worry for me."

          Frowning, he stared at me appraisingly for a few moments before smiling, "I know it's been hard on you recently, Obi-Wan, and that you're cold and tired, but hopefully this will make you feel better."

          Leaning forward, he handed me a steaming container of hot rojo buns, which were my absolute favorite dessert in the whole universe.  Even when I wasn't hungry, I could gobble these things up in seconds.  Qui-Gon liked to compare the way I ate them to the way Marcosen veraps devoured their prey.  Normally, I would have already been halfway through one of them, but right now, as I held my Master's latest attempt at cheering me up, all I could think about was the mother and daughter.  All I could see was their desolation.

          "I bought them in a little shop down the street," he explained, squeezing my shoulder, "feel free to have as many as you want."

          "Would you like to buy a flower?" the woman continued to beg the ongoing crowd, piercing my soul with her cry.

          There were six buns in the container.  Six perfectly toasted buns dusted with siro and smothered in Relescian icing.  Six absolutely delicious buns that were wonderfully hot and smelled like heaven.  Six buns that I couldn't eat, knowing that people were homeless, hopeless, and starving on this very street that I was standing on.  Six buns that would taste far sweeter to that woman and her daughter, than they would to me.

          Flashing Qui-Gon a huge grin, I quickly stepped around him and back out into the street.  "Thanks!" I exclaimed a little giddily, as I began to make my way to the desperate mother and daughter, who were oblivious to the fact that I was approaching them.

          "Obi-Wan?" I heard my Master's confused voice call out from behind me, but I ignored it.  It was time to spread a little light along this darkening scene.  Maybe this wasn't the ideal mission, maybe the delegation would be boring, but that didn't mean I couldn't do something nice for someone.  That didn't mean I couldn't help someone.  That didn't mean that I couldn't still search for a way to make someone's life a little easier just for a few minutes.  That didn't mean I couldn't still do what I loved to do.

          In a matter of seconds, I was expectantly standing right in front of them.  Next to them, Qui-Gon would have seemed a giant because they were both so small, that even I towered over them.  Completely unnoticed.  

          Smiling as widely as I could in the face of their obvious desolation, I cleared my throat to alert them of my presence.  "Excuse me?" I said, drawing both the woman's and the little girl's attention up to me.

          "Would you like to a buy a flower, sir?" the woman asked, extending the pitiful flowers out for my inspection.

          Fighting back the tears of sadness that threatened to spill down my cheeks at the utter despondency in her voice, I wordlessly pressed the container into the daughter's hands and watched as her face was transformed from one of misery to utter joy.  Her eyes went wide and a smile lit up her tiny, smudged, and dirty face.  

          "Mommy! Mommy!" she cried out, "Look! They're rojo buns!" she tugged on the woman's hand as she jumped up and down.  Her joy at such a simple thing as a dessert that I took for granted, could have lit up the entire universe.  "Thank you! Thank you!"

          I felt a broad grin spread across my face.  By taking part in negotiations and other such things, I had had some little part to play in preventing various conflicts and the occasional war.  When leaving those planets, knowing that Qui-Gon and I had saved lives, I felt as if I had accomplished something important, and that always made me happy.  However, as great as that had felt, it felt nothing like this.  In those cases, I hadn't actually gotten to *_see_* the good I was doing.  Now that was I feeling and watching this little girl's ecstatic happiness, it was completely different.

          Emotion welled up deep within me, making my breath catch in my throat, and causing the tears that had stood in my eyes to track down my face.  It felt so incredibly wonderful to see this little girl's joy, and to know that I had done a good thing.  As a young boy I had often dreamed of saving entire words from doom.  Maybe right now I wasn't the 'hero' I had imagined myself as, maybe I hadn't just changed the world, but I had given two homeless people something to eat when before they had nothing.  At least for right now, I had given one small child a little joy.  It felt absolutely marvelous.  I was elated.  Completely and totally happy just knowing that I had brightened one person's day.

          The woman was staring at me in shocked disbelief.  Her face had gone even more pale, and she looked as if she was about to faint from the surprise of a stranger giving her daughter some hot food.  Was the universe really filled with such cruel, uncaring people that such an act of kindness would startle her so?

          Slowly, oh so very slowly, a small, thankful smile touched this woman's lips and her eyes lit up at the sight of her daughter joyously munching away on the hot, sweet buns.  Gazing deeply up into my eyes, she gave a look of pure, overjoyed *_gratitude_* that had a fresh flood of tears blurring my vision.  

          She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to.  The look in her green eyes said it all because they were no longer filled with despair, they were no longer filled with hopelessness; they were just filled with happy appreciation.  Because of me.  My grin grew even bigger, if that was at all possible.  It felt so good to know that this woman and her daughter were happy because of me.  Because of something I had done.

          Taking a moment to watch the child eat, I turned to walk back to where Qui-Gon was waiting for me in-between those two buildings.  I hadn't taken more than two steps when I heard the woman call after me.  "Wait!" she said, and I turned around to see her rushing towards me as she searched through her destroyed flowers and found one that was miraculously undamaged, and as beautifully blue as the sky itself.  

          Carefully picking it out of the heap, she stepped forward and got up on her tip-toes to twine the stem of the flower around my braid, placing it so that the fragile blossom was perched just over my ear.  "Please, take this flower," she whispered, tears standing in her own eyes.

          Smiling, I touched the petals lightly with my fingers.  Normally, I would have felt embarrassed to be seen in public with a flower in my hair, but I was simply too happy to care, and I couldn't bring myself to remove the token she had given me in exchange for the little bit of joy I had given her and he daughter.  Not after seeing that little girl's face light up, and not after seeing the gratitude that had shone in the mother's eyes.

          I watched the woman walk back to her daughter, and take her hand once more.  When she turned to a passing lady and said, "Would you like to buy a flower?" her voice held a note of hope that had not been there before, and it made my heart sing.

          Feeling incredibly wonderful, I made my way back to Qui-Gon side.  This time, as I slipped through the ongoing people, the street didn't seem as crowded anymore.  Nor did the weather seem as harshly cold and unforgiving; in fact the sun was just beginning to peak through the thick clouds, bathing the street in a ray of warm light.  I didn't feel tired anymore.  I didn't feel angry or depressed.  I didn't feel that it was unfair to be constantly sent from planet to planet without chance for rest.  I felt revitalized and energetic.  I felt like I was ready to take on the world.

          Qui-Gon greeted me with a radiant smile and a warm hug.  "I'm so proud of you, Obi-Wan," he whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arms around, drawing me close until my head was resting against his chest.

          Savoring this uncharacteristic show of caring, I fisted my hands in his tunic and unabashedly clung to him.  "You teach me with your kind heart and generous spirit every day, Padawan.  Thank you for showing me that there's always some way to be kind, and hand out a little happiness in every situation."

          Nestling deep into the embrace, I felt my boundless joy grow even more as I realized that Qui-Gon's own weariness had been wiped away by my one act of kindness.  He was no longer drained, or in a rush to get the hotel.  He was happy.  He was happy because the joy he had witnessed had touched him as well.  By that single act of kindness, I had not only brightened the mother's and daughter's day, but I had brightened ours because a little joy could go a long way.  So, as we released each other and prepared to make our peaceful way to our lodgings, I continued to grin joyously because in some small way, I had made a difference.

THE END

Comments?  Please?


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